Container with foldable sifter spout



Jan. 15, 1957 s KAMlN CONTAINER WITH FOLDABLE SIFTER SPOUT Filed Nov 10, 1955 fl .\mwv.v in 5 w M H w a INVENTOR W372;

ATTORNEY;

United States Patent CONTAINER WITH FOLDABLE SIFTER SPOUT Sam Kamin, Houston, Tex.

Application November 10, 1953, Serial No. 391,280

3 Claims. (Cl. 222-189) This invention relates to improvements in containers for granulated or pulverized materials, such as salt, flour, spices and medicinal and toilet powders, having foldable spouts provided with sifting means for the contents of the containers.

It is among the objects of the invention to provide in containers for such materials as salt, flour, spices and powders, an opening for the discharge of the contents therefrom, a spout structure movably mounted on the container for movement into and out of closing relationship to the container opening and eifective when in its open position to direct the container contents discharged through the opening in a predetermined direction relative to the container, and which includes sifting means mounted in the spout and effective when the spout is in open position, to sift the contents discharged from the container and regulate the rate of such discharge; in which the spout and sifter means may constitute permanent coniponents of the container assembly or may be provided as a separate attachment for containers not originally provided with such components; and in which the spout and sifter attachment is economical to manufacture, easy to apply to a container of known construction, and greatly increases the convenience of the container.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a container and spout assembly illustrative of the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1 showing the spout in closed position;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, but showing the container tilted and the spout in open position;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary cross sectional view on the line 55 of Figure 3; and

Figure 6 is a plan view of a blank from which the spout assembly is formed.

With continued reference to the drawing, the illustrated container assembly comprises a box at 10, of rectangular shape and formed of suitable sheet material, which may include materials, such as cardboard, heavy paper, sheet metal, or a combination of sheet metal and cardboard or paper, and includes a fiat top wall 11 having therein an opening 12 extending from a location intermediate the length of the top wall to a front wall 13 disposed perpendicular to the top wall with its top edge extending along the edge of the top wall to which the opening 12 extends, and side walls 14 and 15. The assembly also includes a spout assembly, generally indicated at 16, of right angular cross sectional shape including a flat, imperforate wall 17 of rectangular shape and formed of a suitable material, such as light weight sheet metal, and a fiat perforate wall 18 of rectangular shape joined along one edge and to the related end of the 2,777,611 Patented Jan. 15, 1957 ice wall 17. The perforate or sifter wall 18 includes a panel 20 which may be a piece of light weight sheet metal or paper suitably perforated, a piece of perforated sheet plastic, a piece of wire or plastic mesh screen or other suitable material, as may be desired.

Sector shaped wings 23 and 24 have their straight side edges to the side edges of the walls 17 and 18 substantially perpendicular thereto. The panel 20 is marginally secured, as at 21, by soldering or brazing along the straight side edges of the wings 23 and 24 remote from the imperforate wall 17 and along the free edge of the perforate wall 18.

The juncture 19 of the walls 17 and 18 of the spout 16 is provided with a sleeve 26 and a hinge pin 27 extends through the sleeve 26 along the inner side of the juncture 19 and has lateral arms 28 and 29 on its opposite ends and substantially perpendicular thereto, and disposed substantially in the same plane. The arms 28 and 29 are laterally inwardly offset at their outer ends to provide fingers 30 and 31 respectively. The fingers are inserted through holes provided in the box side walls 14 and 15 below and near the top edges of the side walls and spaced from the front wall 13 with the fingers bearing against the inner sides of the box side walls.

The spout 16 is pivotally mounted on the box with the perforate wall 18 within the box and its imperforate wall 17 outside of the box, so that the spout is movable between open and closed positions. In the closed position of the spout 16, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2, the imperforate wall 17 of the spout engages the upper side of the top wall 11 of the box in covering relationship to the opening 12 with the wings 23 and 24 extending through this opening, and with the perforate or sifter wall 18 substantially against the inner surface of the front box wall 13. In the fully open position of the spout 16 the sifter wall 18 is disposed against the lower side of the box top wall 11 in covering relationship to the opening 12 and the imperforate wall 17 and wings 23 extend upwardly from the top wall 11 with the imperforate wall extending substantially in vertical alignment with the front wall 13. In this open position of the spout 16, as illustrated in Figure 3, the wings 23 and 24 and the wall 17 provide a spout for pouring the contents of the box from the opening 12 in a predetermined direction, and the perforate wall 18 provides a sitter disposed in covering relationship to the opening 12 in the top wall 11 of the box to sift the contents as it leaves the box through the opening 12 and controls the rate and direction of distribution of the contents. The movement of the spout 16 from the closed position shown in Figures 1 and 2 to the open position shown in Figure 3, is limited by stop lugs 34 and 35 projecting laterally outwardly beyond the sides of the perforate wall 18 and engageable with the under side of the box top wall 11. The lugs are lateral extensions on the wings 23 and 24 respectively, see Figure 6, and are bent from the plane of the respective wings so as to extend laterally outwardly therefrom toward the respective side walls 14 and 15 of the box 10. As the spout 16 is moved into the open position shown in Figure 3, the stop lugs 34 and 35 abut against the underside of the top wall 11 so as to limit further opening movement of the spout 16.

The imperforate front wall 17 has medially of its length and at its free edge a raised portion 32 which serves as a finger lip for moving the spout from its closed position.

The spout and sifter attachment can be provided as a permanent component of a container during the manufacture of the container, if desired, or may be provided as a separate attachment which can be applied to an existing container by cutting a proper opening in the top wall of the container, puncturing the side walls of the container near the openingand insertingihe arms of the-hinge 'pin 27. l The invention may be embodied in other specific forms on anr axis adjacent to said juncture and locatednear to without departing from the spirit; or essential characteris.

tics thereof. The present embodiment, is; t-hereiore to.

be consideredin all respects as illustrative andtnot restrictive, the scope of the inventionv being indicated by they appended claims rather than by the foregoing description; and all changes which come within'themeaning and range of equivalency'of the claims are, thereforegintended to beembraced therein.

Whatis claimed is:

.l. The combination with a box having spacedi side walls; having side edges, a top wall; having a front. end,

a front wall having an upper end and a pouring?openingv in. said top wallspaced: fromsaid sidewalls, said, opening reaching from; a point intermediate the ends ofi said topwallto. apoint' near said front endx oithe top wall, a spout comprising, an iniper foratewall; having; a free end and and being located above said top wall and: saidperforate wall. being disposed withinthe boxbelow said top wall; hinge means hin'gingsaid sector wingstethebox sidewalls the front end of the top wall and the upper edge of the front wall.

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein said sector wings'have laterally outwardly projecting stop lugs on said sector walls extending beyond opposite sides of the perforate wall and arranged to bear against thefunder side of the box top wall an open position of the spout.

3 combination oficlainr 1,- wherein said means comprises a sleeve secured to and extending along the juncture of thespout; a'hinge pin extending through said sleeve, said. hinge pin having lateralarn son itsiopposite ends'bearing against the outer sides of the box side walls, said lateral' a-rms having portions traversing and journaled in openings provided in thebox side walls, said portions terminating in laterally inwardly offset fingers f bearing against the inner'sides of the box side walls.

' ReferenesCited time file ofi this patent 1 

